


Baby Diary - Twelfth Month - Happy Birthday Boy

by mistressterably



Series: No rest for the wicked [29]
Category: The Thick of It (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 08:08:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11939919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistressterably/pseuds/mistressterably





	Baby Diary - Twelfth Month - Happy Birthday Boy

‘When are Aunt Sam and Uncle Jamie getting here, daddy?’ Mia asked, staring out the front window. ‘Mommy said they were coming today. Didn’t she go to get them?’

‘Yes, they are coming today, lass.’ Malcolm was hauling boxes of holiday decorations out of the storage closet under the stairs. ‘Yes, mommy went to go pick them up. They should be here soon.’

Mia pressed her hands and face against the window to try and peer around the neighbour’s fence and down the road. ‘They should be here.’

‘They’re going to get here when they get here, lass.’ 

‘I should have gone with them.’ Mia sighed.

‘Alec and Gracie wanted to go too and there’s not enough room in the car for you and them at the same time. You know that.’ Malcolm set another box down to one side of the front room. He stood behind his oldest daughter and hugged her. ‘You were very gracious about letting your younger brother and sister go in your place.’

‘I’ve had more holidays with them. It’s only fair.’

‘But you wish you had gone, don’t you, lass?’

‘You’re too smart, daddy.’ Mia rested her head against his arm. ‘I love you.’

‘I love you too, lass.’ Malcolm ruffled her hair a little. 

‘How about…’ Malcolm paused and knelt down to look the young girl in the eyes. ‘We could get that air bed out and blown up in Gracie’s room. Maybe….’

‘What?’

‘If we get it set up before they all get here, maybe I can see how high I can make you bounce up on it.’

‘Could we! Please!’

‘We can! Let’s go.’

 

‘Sorry we’re late.’ Dani called up as they all piled into the house. Jamie was pulling both his and Sam’s luggage up the stairs after the kids and Sam. 

Mia raced down ahead of Malcolm. ‘Aunt Sam! Uncle Jamie!’ She threw her arms around both of them, hugging them hard. ‘I missed you!’

‘Unf.’ Jamie grunted as the girl hugged him. ‘Careful there, Mia. I’m a fragile man. Nowhere near as sturdy as that father of yours.’

‘You’re as good as my daddy.’ Mia hugged him again. ‘Aunt Sam, you get to sleep in Gracie’s bed again. Did you know that daddy can make me bounce up higher than you can?’

Malcolm joined them in the hallway, grinning a bit sheepishly. 

‘I bet he can,’ Dani said with a knowing look at Malcolm. ‘Malcolm, can you get the luggage upstairs.’

‘Girls, how about you lead the way up.I think I need to challenge just how high you can get bounced on that bed.’ Sam was taking hold of the girls’ hands and running up the stairs.

‘Ma ma.’ Alastair wriggled in Dani’s arms, tired of being carried he wanted to crawl on his own.

‘There you go, Alec. Down you go.’ Dani set the boy on the floor and he was off crawling into the front room right towards the boxes of holiday decorations and a stuffed christmas elf mouse. 

Two days later, everyone was in the kitchen with the adults lingering over coffee and the kids were finishing up their bits of eggs. ‘So, ladies. Off you go to do your holiday shopping today?’ Malcolm was washing up dishes with Jamie’s help.

‘Think the two of you men can manage Alastair without us? It could be a long day.’ Sam teased her old boss. 

‘Sam, Alastair is a baby boy. We can handle him easily!’ Jamie smirked. ‘Hey, we handled Number 10 as a team for years.’

Dani laughed. ‘One baby boy is not the same as Number 10.’

‘Yeah, idiot ministers you can actually lock up in a conference room legally.’ Malcolm chuckled. ‘We’ll be absolutely fine, love. Go and enjoy your day.’

The girls all left and soon it was just Malcolm and Jamie relaxing in the front room with fresh coffee. Alastair was happy to play on the floor at Malcolm’s feet. Or to be more precise to play with Malcolm’s big toe. 

‘The lad is about to chew on your…’

‘Ow!’ Malcolm cried out as Alastair’s teeth dug into his toe. ‘You could have warned me earlier, mate!’

‘Sorry.’ Jamie laughed. 

Malcolm winced and rubbed at his toe even as Alastair grinned at him happily. ‘For that you are getting to do the lights on the tree.’

‘Are you being bossy?’

‘I am.’ 

Jamie sighed and got up off the couch. The tree stood bare in front of the window. ‘Which box then?’

‘Try the one with the word ‘lights’ written on it.’ Malcolm shot back and picked up Alastair to hug his son. ‘Those teeth are coming in stronger and stronger, lad.’

‘Off your a… butt… ‘ Jamie told his friend as he pulled out a tangled string of lights. ‘You’re helping me with these lights. Why didn’t you pack these up in an organized manner?’

‘They were when they went in the box.’ Malcolm countered and set his son back on the floor. ’Behave, lad.’

‘Da da! No!’ 

‘Yes. You behave.’ Malcolm was soon helping Jamie untangle the lights. Alastair tried to crawl back and forth between the two men to try and grab the end of the lights. He had no hope as they were able to keep it up high enough to avoid the youngster’s reach. Once the string was untangled, Malcolm told Jamie to start the lights from the top of the tree. ‘We have to make sure the string ends on the ring of branches above the bottom. Keep them out of the lad’s reach.’

‘I bet.’ 

‘Wait until you see the baubles we got on sale. Kid proof ones. Unbreakable. And colourful.’

‘Can’t wait to see them.’

They kept on decorating the tree with Alastair’s help as he tried to grab hold of anything they got out of the boxes. A bright red glittery garland wasn’t kept from Alastair’s reach fast enough and the boy was trying to crawl off with one end in his grip. ‘No, lad. No!’

‘Yes!’ Alastair laughed and managed to make it into the kitchen with the red garland trailing behind him. Malcolm chased after the boy to stop him from toppling the tree over if he tugged the garland too tight around the tree. 

‘Who said that a baby boy was easier than number 10?’ Jamie laughed as Malcolm picked up the boy and got the garland away from him before he could start to eat it.

‘He is.’ Malcolm handed the garland end over to Jamie who just chuckled, took it and finished wrapping it around the tree. ‘At least I can pick him up and hold him still in a pinch.’ 

‘He wriggles a lot.’ Jamie noted. 

‘That he does.’

‘Da da! Yes!’ Alastair was smacking his hands on Malcolm’s shoulder to get put down.

‘Down again,’ Malcolm put the boy on the floor. 

Alastair sat happily on the floor once he got handed the stuffed Christmas mouse again. With the momentary peace, the two men got the rest of the fragile baubles up on the tree and safely out of reach of the youngsters. Jamie picked up the box with the kid proof baubles and opened it. 

‘These are cute!’ Jamie pulled one out. It was plastic and red with a Santa painted on it in a sleigh. The cord was a tough green. Jamie hung it on the lower branch. ‘I bet the girls are going to love these.’

Alastair was still too busy with the mouse and ignored the baubles. For now.

Grabbing a number of the baubles each, Jamie and Malcolm hung them about the lower branches of the tree. Alastair let the mouse drop and just watched the men. He smiled and wobbled his way onto his feet to take a few steps to the tree. He managed to grab hold of one of the baubles and tried to chew on it. Not getting anywhere with it he dropped it on the floor and then, one hand steadying himself on a tree branch, he moved to the next one to tug it off to taste it. 

The boy made it through four baubles before Malcolm noticed that his work of hanging the baubles was being undone by his son. ‘No, Alec. Don’t take them off.’

‘Yes!’ Alastair moved onto the fifth and tugged it off, holding it out for his father. 

‘They go on the tree, lad. Not off.’ Malcolm hung it back on the tree.

‘Yes.’ Alastair grabbed it and pulled it off again. ‘Da da.’

‘No, Alec.’ Malcolm put it on the tree once more.

‘Yes.’ Alastair pulled it off, chewing on it.

‘No.’ Malcolm took it away from the boy. 

‘Yes.’ Alastair wanted to play this game and grabbed it back from his father.

‘No. Stop ..’ Malcolm tried to take it back but the boy just threw it at him. It thudded against his leg. ‘Alec.’

‘Da da. Yes!’ The boy toppled forward, stretching enough to reach one of the others he’d pulled off. He threw it at Malcolm too. ‘Yes!’

‘Lad.’ 

A third plastic bauble thumped against his leg. Alastair was enjoying this game a lot. He grabbed another bauble and began to crawl off on all fours for speed. Malcolm went after the boy. Jamie stood and laughed at the sight of his former boss bent over trying to catch his son. Malcolm did catch the boy and lifted him up making the boy squeal with delight at his sudden flying into the air.

‘Da da!’ Alastair hugged his father, thwacking him in the face with the bauble the boy still clutched in his hand.

‘Ouch.’ Malcolm managed to get the bauble out of Alastair’s hand and tossed it over to Jamie. ‘Bad boy hitting your daddy.’

‘Yes.’ Alastair leaned forward and kissed him.

‘Yeah, he’s worse than anything or anyone at Number 10.’ Jamie laughed at the look on Malcolm’s face. 

Two days later  
‘That smells yummy!’ Gracie came into the kitchen just as Malcolm was pulling out the baked cake from the oven. ‘Is that chocolate?’

‘It is, little lady.’ Malcolm set the two halves of the cake onto cooling racks and set the oven mitts on the counter. ‘You think Alec is going to like chocolate?’

‘I will!’ She grinned at her father.

‘This is your brother’s birthday cake.’

‘He’ll love it. I know he will.’ Gracie nodded affirmatively. ‘I will too.’ She stood on tiptoes and tried to touch the side of the cake. Malcolm tapped her fingers to stop her. ‘Sorry, daddy.’

‘You’ll get your piece of the cake later. Did you and Mia finish the birthday cards you were making for Alec?’

‘No. Not yet. I’m waiting for the glitter glue to dry.’

‘What about Mia?’

‘She’s still drawing. She wants a card where we’re all in it.’

‘Is that where Aunt Sam and Uncle Jamie got to?’ Malcolm turned his back on Gracie to put the empty cake pans in the sink for washing.

‘Uh huh.’ Gracie nodded and reached out for the cake once more.

‘No you don’t,’ Malcolm said without turning around, parental instinct telling him what she was up to. Gracie snatched her hand back. ‘Go and tell you mommy that the cake will be ready for her to decorate in an hour.’

‘Okay, daddy.’ Gracie ran off and Malcolm carefully moved the cooling cakes to a higher shelf out of the reach of any youngsters. He was about to start washing the dishes when Alastair’s cry from the other room got his attention. 

Dani was in the kitchen an hour later, decorating the cake. Mindful of the kids that would be eating most of the cake, she was sparse with the icing until it came to the icing bears she made on the top. They were a light blue and she had bright yellow icing dots for the eyes with pink paw bottoms. In the center of the bears she wrote out ‘Happy 1st Alastair!’

She was startled suddenly by arms around her waist. ‘Malcolm! Don’t sneak up like that.’

‘You are amazing.’ He nuzzled his lips against her neck. ‘I love you.’

‘And we can be interrupted at any moment.’ Dani moved around in his arms to face him and met his lips with her own.

‘Tonight…’ Malcolm hinted. ‘We’ll wear the kids out.. Sam and Jamie won’t care. We’ll be behind closed doors.’

‘Tonight.’ Dani agreed and then pushed him away. ‘I’ll make sure you keep that promise.’

Malcolm grinned and released her from his grasp. She moved to one side and showed him the cake. ‘It’s wonderful.’ He reached out to try and sneak a taste of the icing but was quick to have his own finger slapped away. ‘Cruel.’

‘It’s Alastair’s cake. He get’s first taste.’

‘Any chance you’ll change your mind about the candle?’

‘No, no lit candle. You can put a candle on the cake but not lit.’

‘Fair enough.’ Malcolm accepted the compromise. He opened the cupboard and took out a #1 shaped candle down and stuck it into the cake. ‘And that is now ready to go.’

‘You ordered the pizza for dinner?’

‘Should be here in 10 minutes. The girls got their cards all done?’

‘Oh yes.’ Dani carefully placed a cover over the cake to hide it. 

‘And his present?’

‘Really, Malcolm? It’s where it was yesterday and the day before. Upstairs in your closet with the blue bow already on it.’

‘He’s going to love it.’

‘Alastair is still quite attached to his owl.’

‘He’ll love the big bear. Look at how Gracie got all crazy once she got her first Paddington.’

‘Or it’ll get covered in dust in the corner of the nursery.’ Dani smiled at Malcolm. ‘Or Gracie will drag it into her room and rearrange all her bears around it. Now, go and get everyone gathered in the front room. I’ll get the plates and napkins.’

‘You’re sure you want this in the front room?’ Malcolm asked, hesitant still.

‘What can go wrong? Alastair will be in his high chair and the girls are more than capable of eating tidily.’ 

‘Okay.’ Malcolm shrugged and left the kitchen. 

The pizza arrived and soon everyone was in the front room eating, laughing and enjoying themselves. Alastair, the center of attention for the day, was happy to pick bits of stringy cheese and pepperoni of his cut up slice of pizza. He stuffed the bits into his mouth and chewed on them. More of the pizza fell back out of his mouth onto the high chair but the boy was happy anyway tasting the pizza and making a mess on his high chair and hands. 

‘That was the best pizza I’ve had in ages.’ Jamie sat back and stretched out his legs. 

‘Local place. Told you it was great.’ Malcolm got up and picked up all the empty plates. ‘Hope you left room.’

‘Of course,’ Jamie patted his stomach. ‘I’m as much a Scot as you are.’

‘I’m looking forward to the cake. It smelled delicious when you were baking it.’ Sam added. ‘Gracie, sit still.’

‘Sorry, Aunt Sam.’ Gracie settled back on the couch beside her.

‘I want some cake, too.’ Mia said, sitting on her hands to stop herself from fidgeting.

Dani hugged her daughter. ‘Everyone is going to get cake.’

‘Alec first though!’ Gracie reminded them all. ‘Birthday boy gets first slice!’

‘Of course he does.’ Malcolm returned with clean plates for everyone, ready to get serving the cake. ‘ Dani, you want the honours?’

‘I do.’ Dani got up and went to the kitchen. Gently uncovering it, she picked up the cake and brought it into the front room to the chorus of everyone singing Happy Birthday to Alastair. The little boy began to happily slap his hands against the high chair. ‘Da da! Ma ma!’

‘Happy Birthday, Alec.’ Malcolm put an arm around his son, hugging him as Dani presented the birthday boy his cake. 

‘Bear!’ The boy’s eyes lit up at the cake decorations. He reached out and managed to catch hold of the candle and rip it from the cake. He was about to chew on it when Malcolm got it away from him.

‘One year old, Alec. Getting to be a big boy.’

‘Happy Birthday, Alec!’ Gracie came over and, with Malcolm lifting her up, she got her arms around him to hug the boy and Mia was next for a birthday hug and kiss. 

‘Bear!’ 

‘The bears are so cute,aren’t they, Alec?’ Mia pointed to them. ‘Bear.’

‘Bear!’ Alec repeated happily. ‘Mia!’ He reached out his hands and got another hug from his oldest sister. 

Jamie and Sam got their own hugs in before Dani set the cake down on the high chair tray. 

‘Bear!’ Alastair laughed and lunged forward to grab for the little bears decorating the cake. His little fingers dug into the bears and the cake. Closing his hands into fists, the cake and icing glommed together and squeezed out between his fingers. He held up his messy hands and announced to them all ‘Mine!’ before he jammed his fists into his mouth to try and eat the cake and icing off his hands.

‘Alec!’ Gracie squealed with laughter even as Mia stood there with her mouth open, torn between laughing herself and shock at the quickly growing mess on her brother’s face.

‘Oh my.’ Sam bit her lip to stop her own laughter.

‘Oh .. my.. Gosh..’ Malcolm groaned.

Dani was frozen in shock and didn’t move the cake away fast enough and Alastair was slamming his hands again into the cake and smearing more of it onto the high chair tray. Not interested in eating anymore, the boy was soon pushing the chunks of cake and icing about until bits were dropping onto the rug. 

‘I told you so.’ Malcolm couldn’t contain his laughter any longer.

‘Da da! Bear!’ Alastair opened up his hands to show them off to his father. 

‘That was a bear.’ 

‘Hug!’ Alastair reached out to Malcolm. 

‘Lad, you are a mess but how can anyone resist.’ Malcolm pulled the boy from his high chair and let his son wrap his arms around Malcolm’s neck, sharing chocolate cake on the older man. ‘Happy Birthday, Alec.’

‘Happy Birthday!’ Everyone joined in the fun until everyone had tasted the cake and eaten parts of it with their fingers.

Bits of cake were scattered on the floor and everyone had cleaned up their fingers and faces. Jamie and Sam helped Dani with the cleaning. Malcolm sat on the couch, a daughter on either side of him and a very tired Alastair resting on his chest.  
‘That was a great birthday.’ Mia cuddled up close to Malcolm, a hand stroking her brother’s arm. ‘I love you, Alec.’

‘Me too.’ Gracie added. ‘I had fun.’

‘I think we all did.’ Malcolm agreed. The other adults came back into the front room. 

‘Good thing there’s a few days before Christmas.’ Sam noted. ‘I’m sure we could buy some carpet cleaner and get the cake out of the carpet before then.’

‘Don’t you dare think about that, Sam.’ Malcolm told her. ‘You’re on vacation.’

‘And we are family.’ Sam reminded him. ‘And you’re not my boss. Dani, tomorrow?’

‘Good plan.’ Dani agreed as she sat on the other side of Gracie. The girl scooted up onto her mother’s lap to hug her. Dani wiped a lingering bit of chocolate cake off Gracie’s cheek. ‘Clean up day tomorrow. For now though.. ‘

‘Coffee?’

‘Excellent idea.’ Malcolm agreed.

‘I’ll go make it.’ Jamie left.

‘A first birthday to remember.’ Dani said quietly, her hand stroking Alastair’s head. 

‘Ma ma.’ The boy smiled up at Dani, his hand clutching tighter to Malcolm’s shirt. ‘Uv you.’


End file.
